New bike lanes are coming to Bloor Street. Here's what's changing

Ctvnews.ca
Aug. 25, 2023
Aisling Murphy

The City of Toronto has broken ground on new bike lanes in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood.

The improved stretch of Bloor Street, which will span from Spadina Avenue in the west to Avenue Road in the east, will feature permanent raised cycle tracks, a protected intersection at Bloor Street West and St. George Street, a sidewalk replacement, new TTC bus stops, and a new fleet of green infrastructure including permeable pavers and bioretention planters.

In a presentation to the public earlier this month, representatives from the City of Toronto said the additional infrastructure will “keep bicycles physically separated from motor vehicles,” as well as make for shorter crossing distances for pedestrians. Fortified intersections will also reduce the likelihood of high-speed vehicle turns and improve sightlines between all road users, according to the city.

City officials estimate the construction will be complete by the end of next summer, with the majority of the work being completed by the end of 2023.

Traffic management tools like increased signage and traffic agents will help mitigate congestion while crews are on site, says the city. Cyclists will be diverted away from Bloor Street West between Brunswick Avenue and Bay Street using existing cycling infrastructure.

When Mayor Olivia Chow was elected into office earlier this summer, Toronto cycling advocates hoped the appointment would result in improved cycling infrastructure.

“It creates more order on our roads,” said CycleTO executive director Michael Longfield at that time. “This gives people more transportation options, which is a really important step to easing congestion in Toronto. The city’s only going to get bigger, and that’s a good thing, but we have to make sure there’s options for people to get around so that fewer of them have to rely on single-occupancy vehicles.”